To provide wireless access to a user terminal, a wireless communication system includes a Base Station (BS) that performs wireless communication with the terminal in a cell having a predetermined range. To provide effective service, an exchange of information must occur between BSs. At present, in most of communication systems, the BSs perform communication with each other through a wired link. However, connecting all of the BSs through the wired link has limitations, including technical limitations and cost limitations, because the number of BSs increases when considering a small cell environment as a future network structure. Accordingly, wireless communication between the BSs is required.
If wireless technologies are applied to communication between BSs, CAPital EXpenditure (CAPEX) and OPerating EXpenses (OPEX) can be saved, e.g., in the case of reducing the need of a network worker. However, there is a need for a way of recovering or substituting an interrupted wireless link that has occurred due to an irregular state change of a wireless environment. In the related art, methods of recovering an interrupted wireless link upon wireless link interruption are largely classified into either a table driven technique or an on-demand technique. The table driven technique is a scheme of managing state information of an alternative wireless link for connection with a neighboring BS through periodic control message exchange between BSs, and recovering an interrupted wireless link immediately upon occurrence of wireless link interruption. The on-demand technique is a scheme in which, after detecting wireless link interruption, a BS transmits a control message to all neighboring BSs to search a detour path.
Problematically, the table driven technique periodically exchanges an unnecessary control message even when a wireless link is in a normal state and, due to this, causes a waste of radio resources. Further, an overload caused by the control message exchange may increase as the number of neighboring BSs increases. The on-demand technique transmits a control message to neighboring BSs after detecting wireless link interruption, and detects a detour path after response reception. Therefore, the overhead caused by the transmitting of the control message is large, and the time required until data transmission resumes is long. Because of this, the on-demand technique is limited in its ability to support applications sensitive to a delay time.
Although wireless link communication between BSs is being considered, as described above, an adequate measure for wireless link recovery upon wireless link interruption has not yet been achieved.
Therefore, a need exists for an efficient alternative plan for wireless link recovery between BSs.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.